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I have seen, heard, and read various references to English or British style versus Portuguese style ports. Does anyone have a succinct explanation of the differences? Does it always break down by producer, or will a producer create wines of both styles? Is there a list breakdown somewhere of what producers are of which style?

I think of “Portuguese style” Vintage Port as being slightly lighter, slightly drier and slightly more earlier maturing than a British-style Port. To give extremes, I might compare something like a Quinta de la Rosa (Portuguese) to a Graham (English).

I also think it has a significant meaning in terms of LBV. To me a Portuguese-style LBV is a vintage-quality Port that has been bottled a year or two later than the classic Vintage Port. It will be unfiltered, and improve with age. An English-style LBV is the inheritor of the Taylor’s LBV legacy: a filtered wine that is not of VP quality. Essentially a ruby reserve with a year on the bottle.

As symptom of this is that the Portuguese shippers tend to have a much lower price differential between their LBV and VP. The LBV will be more expensive and the VP a bit cheaper since they are closer to one another.

I think most companies make Port in one style of another, although there are, no doubt, some exceptions. And modern preference seems to be moving towards lighter, earlier-maturing VP with better-quality LBVs in any event.

I've normally heard that distinction applied to Tawny Port, not to Vintage Port.

British style Tawny Ports have a flavor profile more oriented toward nuts and what I refer to as torrefacted notes - vanilla, caramel, toffee, coffee, etc. I find that the British style is also typically closer to medium bodied than full bodied. To put it succinctly, they are "nut driven".

Portuguese style Tawny Ports are more oriented toward ripe, dried, and baked or stewed fruits. You're also more likely to find "Douro bake" in Portuguese style Ports, sometimes even intentionally. These are often full-bodied wines, though I wouldn't call them heavy. For these Tawny Ports, "fruit driven" is the succinct description.

Not that either style is exclusive, especially when it comes to the lighter torrefacted notes of vanilla and caramel, or dried fruits like apricot. But if your tasting notes are filled with various dried fruits, lighter caramel and vanilla tones, and a more full body, you're likely tasting a Portuguese style wine.

The Portuguese style of VP is generally lighter and more candied, mostly resulting from more wood exposure prior to bottling. Old wines in tastings are usually paler in the glass than their English style counterparts.

I've never heard of VP or any ruby port seperated into two different style camps.

Tawny, yes. But it is Portuguese and Non-Portuguese. To use the term English/British style is rather obtuse. There were and are far more than just English owned companies who make tawny's in a different style than the more fruit forward Portuguese style.

I've never heard of VP or any ruby port seperated into two different style camps.

Tawny, yes. But it is Portuguese and Non-Portuguese. To use the term English/British style is rather obtuse. There were and are far more than just English owned companies who make tawny's in a different style than the more fruit forward Portuguese style.

I'm a bit surprised that you doubt that Andy - you've been to quite a few VP horizontals on this side of the pond over the years - surely you've noted that the Portuguese, tawny focused houses, tend to make VPs that are paler and sweeter than their English style counterparts?

uncle tom wrote: ↑22:55 Mon 13 Sep 2021

I've never heard of VP or any ruby port seperated into two different style camps.

Tawny, yes. But it is Portuguese and Non-Portuguese. To use the term English/British style is rather obtuse. There were and are far more than just English owned companies who make tawny's in a different style than the more fruit forward Portuguese style.

I'm a bit surprised that you doubt that Andy - you've been to quite a few VP horizontals on this side of the pond over the years - surely you've noted that the Portuguese, tawny focused houses, tend to make VPs that are paler and sweeter than their English style counterparts?

No. What I tend to notice is a producer either does extremely well in Tawny's or in VP's. Rarely both.

uncle tom wrote: ↑22:55 Mon 13 Sep 2021 VPs that are paler and sweeter than their English style counterparts?

I think what Andy might be trying to say is that this isn't a style difference, per se, it's a quality difference. The Tawny-focused Portuguese houses are better at making Tawny Port than they are at making Vintage Port. Their VP is generally still excellent, and occasionally outstanding, but they are generally not as high quality as the VPs from the (mostly British) houses that specialize in making VP.

On the Tawny side, the difference is clearly stylistic. The Portuguese style is more fruit-forward while the British style is more nut-forward, and those different styles are something that the winemakers and master blenders strive to achieve.

I'm with Tom on this topic. In my experience there are some distinct stylistic differences between houses, even houses under the same ownership.

The best example I can give is Ferreira and Sandeman. Both make immensely long-lived Ports but the Ferreira Ports are beautifully elegant, refined and age with such grace over the decades. I love drinking mature Ferreira Ports, they are just so exquisite.

Sandeman, by contrast, I find to start off as a much bigger and bolder wine. Much less elegance when young, built around power, muscle and black fruit. They age wonderfully well and acquire a delicious tobacco and orange character. Although I find them to have great balance, I can't put my finger on why I don't find them as elegant and refined as Ferreira.

Is this a Portuguese / British style difference? Although I lazily describe it as such, I truly think it is a house-style difference and not a nationality difference. Ramos Pinto make wonderfully elegant wines but Quinta da Devesa make black-fruit blockbusters; both are Portuguese. Dow are big and bold, Warre balanced and ethereal.

Perhaps I should be more accurate when summarising the style of a wine. I accept the gentle admonishment of the reader and promise to be less lazy in the future.

I was going to bring up Quinta do Vale Meao, which is as Portuguese as it gets and makes big, bold, powerful, high quality Vintage Ports.